One would barely expect the textile-pushing Abraham and Thakore label to be associated with “luxury” in fashion. But for the discerning customer, for whom the ultimate luxury is the fineness of fabric and the ease of a t-shirt, Abraham and Thakore has an answer. This discerning customer is now a much-talked about and awaited alliance between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, called Vistara. The new full-service airline will be launched in October this year.

“After a fleet of budget airlines, the Vistara team was very clear that they wanted something which was highly sophisticated and elegant, and would uphold the heritage of both Tata and Singapore Airlines,” says David Abraham, speaking for the label he launched along with Rakesh Thakore. The two, and their partner Kevin Nigli, worked closely with the brand agency as well as the Vistara management to understand the corporate colours and their logos. “We had only two months,” he adds.

The result is an elegant take on plum and aubergine, with a V-shaped yoke (for ‘Vistara’). The uniforms are for all airline staff, right from the pilot to the ground staff, but special attention is given to the flight attendants. “The air hostesses are the face of the airline,” Abraham points out.

The uniforms for them are “not necessarily Indian but Asian”, with pants, instead of a skirt. “It had to be functional and with minimum fuss and bother. There are minimal components — no jackets that occupy storage and weight or scarves that need adjusting. The fabrics are manmade polyester and viscose blends that look fresh for 8-10 hour flights and can be machine-washed for the next day’s flight too,” says Abraham